Who is Instagram ‘It Boy,’ Joey Zauzig?

I was scrolling through the Instagram explore page searching for style inspiration like any other fashion-obsessed youth. After a couple of street style posts and funny Real Housewives of Atlanta scenes, boom: Joey Zauzig perched on the edge of a New York City newsstand in Balenciaga’s Colour-Block Shell Jacket and Triple S sneakers.

Joey is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to things that seem to matter in this day and age. He’s an activist, he’s stylish, and he posts bomb Instagram pictures. Beyond the great visuals the GQ Insider shares on the ‘gram, he’s a downright cool guy.

But before SoHo-living, Joey was raised in Fairfax, Virginia, a place “where style inspiration was hard to come by.” The small town didn’t hinder him from dressing well. The school uniform in high school? He swapped the mundane belt with a designer one and opted for Sperry’s as opposed to those boring, required shoe styles.

“I was always in detention for not abiding by the dress code,” he says.

Thankfully, New York City doesn’t give detention for style, and Joey can don whatever he pleases. His style is only one reason he has garnered a strong Instagram following of more than 63,000. Joey is extremely engaged with his followers. Whether it’s answering questions about a healthy diet or simply responding to compliments, I don’t think I’ve seen a comment to which he hasn’t responded.

“I use my platform to uplift and inspire men and women by sharing my experiences and tactics I’ve used to live a better life,” Zauzig says. “[I hope] that others will intake this and essentially live their best life.”

With Joey setting an example for living a “best life,” he sees the importance of always being on. Everyday. Workouts at Equinox, meetings with other influencers and brands, dinner at Megu— we see it all in his Insta-story. The transparency is intriguing, and everyone appreciates it because he makes you feel like a best friend more than a follower.

Manor: What would you say inspires you the most as a creative? What inspires your style the most?
Zauzig: I draw a lot of inspiration from New York City. I’ve lived here for about 4 years and seeing so many different walks of life, outfits, and personalities get me super motivated to try new thing in fashion and beyond.

M: What is the best fashion advice someone could be given?
Z: I think personal style is really about confidence. If you’re comfortable with what you’re wearing, that is a tell-tale sign that you’re doing something right.

M: What is one big project you’d like to work on?
Z: I have so many ideas for the future. Right now, I’m looking for the right brand that fits my personal brand [and to develop] a long-term partnership with. It’s really important to me to stay true to my brand and take things slow.

M: What is one of your style pet-peeves?
Z: I’m all about trying to mix it up, but if you are just trying to steal someone else’s look, it might not work on you. Something that looks amazing on someone else doesn’t always look the best on everyone else.

What’s one thing you aspire to do with your platform?
So much. I really want to expand beyond Instagram and get my YouTube going to further spread my mission, experiences, and share some of my exciting upcoming projects with everyone. Also, I want to use my platform to create a community bringing people together like-minded individuals.

M: What’s is next for you? Any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
Z: YouTube is something that I’ve been navigating for some time now. I have been working to make sure all the concepts and quality is there before launching, but this is something that’s in the pipeline for the near future. I’m really excited to open up further to my audience. Another big thing for me is getting into television. It’s always been a dream of mine to be a host on a TV show and express and share my experiences and ideas on camera.

Be sure to check out Joey’s Instagram @joeyzauzig to see what’s coming next for him.